The Hyperion Schubert Edition 8 / Sarah Walker, Graham Johnson

Mezzo soprano Sarah Walker is one of those singers with a real communicative gift--regardless of language, she really knows how to put over a song in such a way that the listener really gets involved in the story. It's doubtless for this reason that she gets the most famous Schubert song of all: Erlkönig (The Elf-King), composed when he was all of 18 years old. This song is the final item in a fantastic program of songs, both familiar and unfamiliar. An outstanding disc, even in this fine series. --David Hurwitz